Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a torque transmission system of the type which utilizes driving and driven pulley units and an endless V-belt to transmit the torque of a shaft to another shaft. The transmission system of the present invention can be used, for example, to transmit the torque of an automotive engine to an auxiliary rotary devices or accessories, such as air pump, water pump, fan, compressor, alternator or the like.
In co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 140,594 filed by Hattori et al on Apr. 15, 1980, there is disclosed a torque transmission system having driving and driven pulley units drivingly connected together by an endless V-belt. Each of the driving and driven pulley units has a stationary pulley rotatable with a shaft and a movable pulley disposed to define with the stationary pulley a circumferentially continuous groove for receiving the V-belt. The movable pulleys of the two pulley units are axially resiliently biased so that the radii of the circles along which the V-belt engages the driving and driven pulley units are varied to change the speed-change ratio of the transmission system. The driven pulley unit includes fly weights which are rotatable with the movable pulley of the driven pulley unit and centrifugally displaced radially outwardly to axially shift the movable pulley. The driving and driven pulley units are provided with cam mechanisms each comprising a cam member and a follower member. When the load on the driven pulley unit is suddenly varied, the cam mechanisms are operative to keep the rotational speed of the driven pulley unit constant irrespective of variation in the load on the driven pulley unit.
Another co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 223,304 filed by Hattori et al on Jan. 8, 1981 also discloses a generally similar torque transmission system.
The disclosures in the earlier applications are incorporated herein by reference.